Is James Dean's 'cursed' Porsche Spyder hidden behind a false wall?

A new lead in the decades-long search to find the infamous vehicle points to an unidentified building in Washington state.

James Dean was a rising star in Hollywood when he died in an auto accident on September 30, 1955. He was 24.
(Photo: Creative Commons)

Are the twisted remains of the vehicle James Dean was driving at the time of his death hidden away in a building in Washington state? That's the lead organizers behind the search for the infamous Porsche 550 Spyder are pursuing after an unidentified individual recently came forward with the information.

Dean, a 24-year-old rising Hollywood star, was driving the Spyder on Sept. 30, 1955 when it collided with another vehicle at high speed. The actor was crushed in the ensuing crash, but all other parties, including Dean's passenger, survived. Nicknamed the "Little Bastard," the car gained notoriety over the next several years as being cursed due to a large number of unusual and violent incidents involving it.

The wreck of James Dean's Porsche Spyder was used for PSA’s warning drivers about the dangers and consequences of careless driving. (Photo: Creative Commons)

In 1960, after several years of touring the country for auto shows and traffic safety exhibitions, the Spyder mysteriously disappeared. Leads over the whereabouts of the vehicle became so thin that in 2005 the Volo Auto Museum offered to buy the vehicle for $1 million from whoever had it locked away. That offer went unclaimed until earlier this year when an older individual came forward with a very interesting piece of information.

"He said he was 6 years old at the time, and was present as his father and some other men put the wreckage behind a false wall in a building in Whatcom County, Washington," Brian Grams, director of the Volo Auto Museum, told ABC7 Chicago.

To verify the claim, the individual agreed to take a polygraph test. According to Fox News, he "passed with flying colors." Unfortunately, the mystery man does not own the building purported to contain the Spyder. Until they can verify that the car is in fact there, as well as who its current owners will, its location will remain a closely guarded secret.

"This guy's story is awesome, and our most believable lead to date," Grams added. "It's kind of like Al Capone's vault. If it is in there, it continues the legend of this car's notorious history."